Yankees already have reunion opportunity with ex-top prospect Chase Hampton after Nationals' DFA

Once upon a time in 2024, Chase Hampton was the New York Yankees' top pitching prospect. This was before many fans had heard of American League Cy Young front-runner Cam Schlittler. In fact, Hampton was even still ranked ahead of Schlittler in the Yankees' farm system last season, per MLB Pipeline.

But injuries derailed Hampton's time in the Yankees' organization. Hampton underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2025, which knocked him out until May of this year. Tack on an 8.18 ERA in 17 starts across three minor league levels this season, and the Yankees were all but forced to designate Hampton for assignment on Sept. 7. He was later claimed on waivers by the Washington Nationals on Sept. 12.

However, Hampton didn't appear in a minor league game for the Nationals before getting designated for assignment on Saturday, in order for Washington to make room on the 40-man roster for trade deadline pickup Connelly Early. The Yankees now have an opportunity to reunite with an old friend in Hampton.

Should the Yankees bring back Chase Hampton?

Hampton is still just 25 years old and has yet to make his MLB debut. The right-hander had his struggles this season, but it's not uncommon for pitchers to have a rough go when they first come back from Tommy John surgery.

Per Hampton's 2026 scouting report on Baseball Savant, his 92-94 mph fastball, which reached 97 mph with high spin rates and swing-and-miss capability in the past, has lost 2-3 mph in velocity and his cutter and curveball are not fooling opposing hitters. Hampton's low-80s slider is still viewed as a plus pitch, but his fastball and strike-throwing ability have regressed this year.

Nine of the Yankees' top 10 prospects are pitchers, according to MLB Pipeline. And 10 of their top 15 prospects are hurlers as well. Bringing back Hampton is a low-risk, potential high-reward move for the Yankees to only further bolster their system's already strong pitching depth.

The Yankees could also attempt to convert Hampton from a starter to a reliever if they were to bring him back. This could help with his fastball velocity issues. Should the opportunity present itself, the Yankees should bring back Hampton to see if he can be a reclamation project. Nobody knows Hampton better than the Yankees, and they could decide to give him a chance to show that his 2026 struggles were just the result of coming off elbow surgery. Hampton likely would've been given a shot in the Yankees' rotation by now had injuries not thrown him off the last few years.

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